Blue Peter gold badge awarded to young fundraiser

A KIDDERMINSTER pupil who suffers from a genetic heart abnormality has been awarded a gold Blue Peter badge due to his fundraising efforts.

William Wallace, 7, of The Knoll School, was presented with his badge by headteacher, Nigel Humphries, at the school’s prize-giving day.

He had applied for a badge earlier in the year by writing to the programme and telling them about some of the fundraising he had done.

The letter was subsequently passed on to the programme editor, who decided that William should receive the programme's highest accolade, a gold badge.

Lorraine Wallace, William’s mother, said: “He was so shocked - totally surprised. William applied in March for a Blue Peter badge but it all went very quiet.

“We were unaware that he had been put forward for the gold badge and when he received it at school he was absolutely shocked as he had no idea at all.”

The gold badge is awarded for outstanding and exceptional achievements in helping others and is rare, with less than 1,000 being given out in the past 51 years.

Previous winners of the gold Blue Peter badge have included the Queen, David Beckham, Jessica Ennis and Lenny Henry, as well as a number of children who have shown unique bravery, courage and citizenship to achieve something special.

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William, who underwent major heart surgery in January, 2013, achieved his award for raising money, in 2012, for his primary school to purchase a defibrillator.

He has also raised money for the Ronald McDonald House Charity, which offers accommodation to parents while their child is in Birmingham Children’s hospital, and has taken part in charity runs for the British Heart Foundation every year in the Wyre Forest.

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